


Strength and Beauty

by Marie_Fanwriter



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi, Sex, Sexual Content, Threesome - F/F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-05
Updated: 2014-11-05
Packaged: 2018-02-24 04:20:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2568008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marie_Fanwriter/pseuds/Marie_Fanwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Don't make me choose." - Rated M for a reason, little plot and lots of fun, Enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strength and Beauty

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Please enjoy this little gift in honour of N7 day. I’ve always found it too difficult to choose between a romanced Liara and a romanced Garrus, I hope this little story helps explain my head cannon while giving you some enjoyment.
> 
> Onto the show…

It happened just like last time, after the mission debrief everyone else left the conference room. Shepard was left alone with her two loves... strength and beauty. Or was it beauty and strength? She couldn't decide. And that seemed to be her problem. Beauty was the first to speak up, "Shepard, we need to speak with you about something."

Strength closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead before looking up at her with piercing eyes, "She's right. We need to talk."

Shepard looked between her crewmates; she knew where this was going. "I should go." she said before making for the door.

"Not this time... please." Beauty spoke up again, her voice quiet. Shepard stopped.

"This can't wait any longer," Strength said, pushing away from his perch on the wall. "We need to talk about us, ALL of us."

This was what the young Commander dreaded more than the Reapers, losing one of her loves... again. "Where do you want to start?"

He waited until she turned around to face them. "When I asked if you still felt the same way, you said you did. Before the Collector base and here on the ship after we got you back." He paused, choosing his words carefully, "I was willing to overlook the night after you two took down the Shadow Broker. I get it. Battle rush and old passions. But I can't keep doing this. Can't keep overlooking the touches and looks and..." He stopped at the other's hand.

"Everything was perfect until the _incident_ , we were happy and then you were gone. I did everything I could to bring you back. I succeeded when I gave your body to Cerberus." Strength swore under his breath, not knowing quite the whole story of her resurrection, beauty ignored him and continued. "I had to focus my efforts on saving Feron because he helped me save you. And you took my focus as coldness and went off with him..." She gestured towards the taller love.

After a moment she continued, "I thought we were back to being us after I took over as the Broker. Our night together, well... it was spectacular. I thought he was a fling... that you loved me and wanted me back. That you two were just blowing off steam..."

Shepard looked between the two of them, "Don't make me choose. Liara, Garrus. I can't."

Liara looked stunned, "Shepard, we've been down this road before. Kaidan made it clear..."

Garrus cut her off, "Ok."

Both women turned to look at him, absolutely floored. Together they started, "Garrus what?" And "You don't honestly mean..."

He took a step forwards, "I mean it. I don't want to lose you Shepard. Not ever again. If the only way we get to be together is if Liara is there too, then so be it!" his sub-vocals were sounding loud enough for the others to hear, "I can't lose you again. I won't."

"Garrus..." Shepard started, her eyes welling up.

"Shepard. No." Liara spoke over her, "Garrus is turian. They can't live like that." Shepard gave her a confused look and tried to ask what she meant but Liara cut her off again, "Garrus, you know you can't." She tried to appeal to his better senses. But Garrus just shook his head and stared at the ground, "You didn't..."

The briefing room was quiet for a moment save the low thrum of the engine, "I did." Liara stared openly at Garrus in shock, and Shepard in question.

Finally the Commander spoke up, "Did what?"

Garrus remained silent, his posture defeated as he kept his eyes on the floor, decidedly three feet to Shepard's left. Liara spoke for him, "He bonded to you." Her voice rose with every word, "Without your permission or your consent he BONDED to you! Garrus what in Athame's name were you thinking? Were you trying to kill yourself? Did you think this was the only way to beat me? By the goddess I should..."

"Enough!" Shepard shouted. She could see that this conversation was going nowhere. "Garrus, what is she talking about? Talk to me big guy," she closed the distance between them. When she brought her hand up to his cheek he pulled back as though it was fire. "Garrus?"

He took a deep breath, "I did bond to you Shepard. But I won't apologize."

Liara was angry, "Well you should. She doesn't even know what it is!"

"Let me finish," he hissed. "It happened a long time ago. There is a reason you found me bloodied and dying on Omega. I had nothing left. Friends were scattered, my job was meaningless, my family ignorant.” He took a breath to steady himself.

“After you left me on the Citadel to purse Spectre training I realized that I couldn’t live without you. We were supposed to meet up when you were on shore leave next and I convinced myself I could wait to tell you how I felt, despite your relationship with Liara. Turns out it didn’t matter, you died just days before your leave was scheduled.” Shepard tried to interject but Garrus interrupted her, “You died and I my bond set.”

Shepard waited a beat to compose her words, “What do you mean ‘bond’, Garrus?”

Liara interjected before Garrus could respond, “Turian’s don’t have multiple partners in life. Bed partners sure, but life partners? No. Once they bond they are together until they pass. Humans change their interests over the years, turians do not.”

“And what about asari?” he asked angrily. “Don’t they just move from one warm body to the next? As if nothing ever happened? Taking multiple partners over the course of a century?”

“Garrus!” Shepard exclaimed. “That’s not fair.”

“No, it’s fine. It is completely understandable for a turian to not understand the changing landscape of life and loss and love.” It was as if she was brushing her opponent off, “I went after Shepard. And you? You were well on your way to a slow and painful death. Those mercenaries wouldn’t have let you die quickly; I’ve seen their plans for the great Archangel. Without Shepard, hell! Without me you’d be nothing but a shell wishing you’d just offed yourself like a good turian bond mate should!”

“YOU GAVE HER TO CERBERUS!” He yelled and thrust a taloned finger at the asari. “You claim to have _saved_ her. You brought her back to ignore her and use her. You’re no lover,” he growled.

A blue aura grew around Liara’s form as she took her own pace towards the enraged turian. “I brought Shepard back! You ran away and took it upon yourself to upset the balance of power in the largest criminal organizations in the galaxy.”

His sub-vocals thrummed even deeper, “I helped people. What did you do? Oh right! Sell people out for profit. Use your friends for personal gain. Uncaring of the effect you were having on everyone else…”

Liara was about to respond when the light swishing of the briefing room doors sounded. “Shepard?” they said as one. She was gone.

“Spirits… now we’ve done it.” He deflated and moved to lean on the table palms flat against the cool surface. After a few moments of quiet he slammed his fist against it, the sound echoing in the near empty space. “Damn it!”

Liara walked around the table and echoed Garrus’ posture, “How do we fix this?”

“I don’t know…” he said. “You are right though, I can’t live like this.”

Liara looked the man up and down; the war had taken its toll on him. Injuries abound and figure wasting away before her eyes. The war was taking a toll on everyone, even her. But not like it had him. When they’d taken on the broker Garrus had been strong again, stronger than on the first Normandy. Now? He was thinner and his plates lacked the proper sheen. “I know.”

He looked up, “Then let me in.”

“Ok.”

+++

Shepard barely had time to take off her boots before the door chimed. She was tired and upset and didn’t know how to deal with her lovers’ quarrel. So instead of trying to deal with it she reacted, “Go away!”

Beauty’s voice came through the door, “Shepard, we need to talk. I’m not leaving.”

The Commander wasn’t sure if she was pleased it was just the asari or not. Had she been hoping for Garrus? Or was it Liara that she wanted. “I said go away!”

This time it was Strength’s resonant voice, “Let us in… please.”

Out in the hall the foreboding red light changed to a more friendly green and the door slid open to reveal the human standing at the base of the stairs. “You’re both here?”

Liara smiled and closed the distance between them. She pulled the slightly taller woman to her in a hug, “We are.” She slid one hand from the Commander’s shoulders to the small of her back, the other snaked its way through her hair. Their lips touched and in Shepard’s surprise at the intimate gesture she gasped allowing the lithe pink tongue to enter her mouth. Within seconds the Commander was melting into the talented mouth of her blue lover.

At some point Garrus had made his way down the stairs too. Although instead of allowing the women to continue uninterrupted he stepped behind Shepard, his hands covering her shoulders and massaging them in the way he knew she loved. “We’re both here.” He said voice like velvet in her ear.

As his hands worked over her tense muscles his mouth slid to her neck and he began to tease the tender flesh with his tongue and teeth. For a few minutes the Commander was completely enraptured by her two loves. It wasn’t until Liara pulled back for air and Garrus’ hand found its way under her shirt that she realized what was happening and pulled away from Liara only to be stopped by Garrus’ solid chest.

“Wait, what’s going on?” She asked, pulling out from the middle and setting her back against the fish tank. Her breath came labored and the two aliens could easily see and smell the other signs of her arousal.  “We were just fighting and now… what? I can’t even…”

Liara could see her floundering for words and interjected, “You said you didn’t want to choose. So we compromised.”

Shepard looked from one lover to the other, her eyes settling on Garrus first, “I thought Liara said you couldn’t do that.”

Garrus shrugged, “I can’t lose you Shepard. If this is what you need then this is what we will do, I’ve never been a very good turian anyways.”

“And Liara,” her gaze shifted. “You were happy to stay with me after I couldn’t choose between you and Kaidan. Garrus didn’t back out like he did… are you ok with this?”

She nodded, “I can give you things that Garrus can’t, but you won’t be happy without him. I can make this work if it is what you wish. At the very least we can attempt.”

Both lovers stood a pace apart, looking on at the woman in front of them. They were so different, yet similar enough that the Great Commander Shepard had fallen in love with them both. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, a hand coming to her brow to rub away the tension before it passed through her hair. When she opened her eyes again neither of them had moved a muscle, it was as though they hadn’t even taken a breath in anticipation of rejection.

Finally she spoke up, “Let’s try it.” Taking a step back towards them she outstretched her hands. Each lover took one and she took a moment to feel the stark difference between them. The cool smooth skin of Liara’s five fingered hands in comparison to the warm gloved three fingered one.

With a second step she was back between her loves, only this time she faced the turian. Deft hands searched for the clasps of his chest plate, “if this is going to work we need to level the playing field.” She said, divesting him of the heavy ceramic and metal plate. Garrus understood her meaning and helped her remove his shoulder guards and the remainder of his torso gear. When he stood in only his pants and undersuit shirt Shepard seemed contented to leave the rest of his clothing in place. Now her unoccupied hands were able to explore the expanse of his chest. Her fingers brushed over his warm hard plates under the shirt.

Liara took it upon herself to join the pair; this time she was the one to explore the expanse of Shepard’s shoulder with her mouth. Her soft pliant lips a severe contrast to the hard plates and sharp teeth of moments ago. Her limber fingers made short work of the buttons on Shepard’s tunic and she only pulled away long enough for Garrus to press the cloth off of her arms.

Garrus replaced his hands onto Shepard’s hips and pulled her nearly flush with his own chest as they kissed. He’d learned kissing quickly and it wasn’t long before he was able to coax his way into her mouth with his tongue. Shepard couldn’t help but gasp as Liara found her way under her bra, tweaking the pert pink nipples to sharp points. Garrus took advantage of the gasp and deepened the kiss even more, one of his hands moving to weave its way into her hair.

The Commander didn’t quite know what to think, with four hands touching her and two mouths on her skin she was overwhelmed. She pulled back for air and found her lips enraptured by the soft ones of the beauty behind her. Garrus took to her neck again, leaving tiny red marks behind as he lavished her. His hands, now devoid of gloves, were able to unclasp her pants without much effort. He pulled them down and Shepard assisted by kicking them off once they hit the floor.

Without a thought her pulled her off the floor and had Shepard wrap her legs around his waist. With his strength it wasn’t difficult to hold her up and it shifted the attention back to him. Shepard pulled his shirt off and began to work across the now bare plates in front of her. Liara, not to be left out, divested herself of her jacket and boots before returning to her lover. This position made it very easy for the young asari to caress the other woman’s backside and wrap an arm around her to slide a hand into damp panties.

Shepard squirmed against Garrus’ chest and her legs squeezed his sensitive waist. “Liara…” Shepard mumbled and moaned out loud. The asari didn’t stop and the turian, not to be outdone, resumed his work on the human’s breasts. The peaks were still stiff and as he massaged one breast in his hand he licked the other, caressing the nipple with his tongue until she arched into him. Shepard’s hands had stopped their own ministrations in favor of keeping her balance.

By the time Shepard reached her first climax of the evening the only sound in the room was her rough pants and Garrus’ deep rumbling. When she came she threw her head back and cried out to her gods. Both the aliens smiled at being part of what made their lover and Commander so happy.

Once she came down from her high she noticed that they were moving in the direction of the bed. Garrus leaned down and let her fall the last few inches to the bed. Liara stood at the base of the bed, abreast with the turian, with a smile spreading across her lips. “What would you like next?” she asked, her voice innocent as could be. Her leer however? Not so much.

Shepard made a show of thinking for a moment before settling on an idea, “Liara is overdressed.” A cheeky smile on her face she added, “Help her with that problem, won’t you Garrus?”

Garrus turned to Liara, a questioning look on his face. Liara nodded and Garrus obliged the Commander. One hand took hold of the asari’s waist the other moved to the clasps of her undersuit, her jacket was already laying across the couch forgotten. Apparently he’d had experience with human clothing that the asari version was no match, soon the black cloth was replaced with pale blue skin. He was methodical and slow as he divested her of each piece of clothing, almost like a slow strip tease. He didn’t kiss Liara but his hands were obviously having an effect on the asari as her breath started to quicken and she shivered against the taller alien when his breath touched the skin of her stomach when he bent down to pull off her pants.

For her part Shepard just had to sit and watch, a hand without her notice had moved under her soaked panties to help herself along as she watched the erotic display in front of her. With Liara now naked and Garrus on his knees both looked expectantly at Shepard for their next instructions. Beauty had stifled a giggle upon seeing where Shepard’s hand had gone, Strength rolled his eyes and muttered _insatiable_ under his breath.

“Time out for a minute,” Garrus said from his position on the floor. Both women transferred their gaze to him and nodded for him to continue. “Shepard, what do you want here? By the looks of it you want to watch as much as you want to play.” He looked up at Liara, “And what about you? What do you want?”

The asari towering over him was the first to answer, “I am comfortable with exploring both of you if that is what Shepard wishes.”

If the smile on Shepard’s face could have become any bigger it would have. “I want to see you make her come undone.”

Garrus grabbed Liara’s hips in his talons and pulled her to his mouth, “As you wish.” He said before diving into the blue azure before him. Liara couldn’t have prepared herself for the onslaught of the rough hot tongue even if she knew it had been coming. Immediately both her hands gripped onto the turian’s fringe and she cried out. He was vicious in his taking of her, hands holding her hips in place as he licked her from top to bottom, dipping into her entrance and laving her clit.

After only a few minutes she was finding it hard to stand. Noticing her issue Garrus turned her and pressed her onto the bed beside Shepard. The Commander didn’t wait long before realizing her opening here. She kissed Liara deeply and massaged the large breasts in front of her. Liara moaned out loud and closed her eyes letting herself fall into the ministrations of her bedfellows. When she opened her eyes she met piercing ones looking up from her cunt. Never stopping in his movements he watched her for a moment before releasing one hip to tap Shepard’s ass and gesturing at the slightly confused human with his eyes. Shepard got the idea quickly and Liara lost sight of Garrus as a pink, overexcited pussy was dropped onto her face.

Her own fingers and tongue got to work pleasuring the Commander as Garrus was doing her. She mimicked his movements and when she entered the pliant women over her she could feel one of Garrus’ talons enter her. He used his knuckle instead of a fingertip, though his fingers were long enough that it didn’t matter. By now her hips were moving in earnest, it wasn't long before Garrus brought Liara to the edge.

Her efforts redoubled on the Commander, knowing that past the first orgasm she became much easier to please. Mouth and fingers working furiously to bring forward more of those delicious moans. Finally it was the vibrations of her own enjoyment that fulfilled her wish. Shepard came hard and fast, arching her back and crying out. Liara followed closely behind at Garrus' urging. His tongue finding her sweet spot and forcing her to stop her efforts on the Commander long enough to enjoy her own release to the fullest.

Shepard rolled onto the bed beside her blue lover, chest heaving and heart pounding. The smile on her face wide as she looked down to Garrus' smirking face, "Enjoying the view?" she asked him.

"Who wouldn't?" came his snarky reply. Even in bed he could be so cocky. Although she supposed it was warranted, it had taken several tries before she had been able to make Liara moan like that. She looked over to the asari, still panting with her eyes closed coming down from her first orgasm of the night.

"Mm-hmm..." Shepard agreed. Her gaze shifted down to her turian lover again. The sight of him on his knees at the end of her bed was one of her guiltiest pleasures, chest bare and gleaming in the pale light of her cabin. If turians could blush he would have been now, the way his mandibles fluttered and how he dropped his eye contact and slightly turned his scars away from her. "Come here," she said with a beckoning finger.

Garrus stood up and crawled onto the bed, lying on Shepard's other side. One arm supported his head and the other made lazy circles across her chest. White lines appeared for a few seconds after a talon passed over her flushed skin. He was always so attentive to her needs and when she let her gaze slide down his body it was obvious that she hadn’t been attentive to his. She could see the top of his pubic plates over his waist band, they were obviously straining to open fully but his armor restricted him.

Without a word she reached her hands down to the clasps and began undoing them. He hissed when she finally got them undone and his cock sprang forth from its confines. The relief was almost painful. The soft hand tracing its way from tip to base wasn’t helping his concentration in the slightest. Before he knew it his eyes were closed and he was thrusting into the softness, hands roaming over the woman beside him. He’d just about forgotten about Liara when she added her hands to the mix. Her cool digits were a complete contrast to the warm ones already working on his skin. They were much more tentative in their movements than Shepard’s had ever been, obviously not versed in turian physiology.

Shepard was a careful teacher though and within a few minutes she’d found a few places that made Garrus ache for more. Shepard was the first to add her mouth into the mix; she kissed and nipped her way down Garrus’ body. Stopping at the tender points where his plates had been regrown after older injuries. It was enough to make Strength quiver with need and it took everything he had not to flip the Commander over and enter her. The smell of sex alone was strong enough to warrant that.

She encouraged Liara to be a little more adventurous as well. The asari joined the human in working him over with their mouths, stopping to kiss each other every few minutes. When Shepard finally got down to his aching member she was quick to take him into her mouth fully. Long strokes made the blue disappear completely into pink before pulling back and making the motion again. Liara joined Shepard after seeing when Garrus liked; two mouths licked their way from his base to his tip. The women kissed each other still in between licks and sucks on his member. And the sight of it was driving him wild.

His hands had originally been rubbing at their shoulders and encouraging them on, now he’d dropped them to the mattress to ensure he didn’t leave marks. His growl was feral and his head thrown back in lust. Shepard hummed her appreciation at her view and that only forced him to buck against the hands holding his hips to the mattress. “Spirits… if you keep… that up…” he panted, tried to find his words, “If you keep that up I won’t… oh spirits Shepard!” The Commander took him into her mouth again. Quickly the entire length disappeared into her mouth until it hit the back of her throat.

One of his hands found the back of her head and pressed her down just a little further. Shepard relaxed and took the last half inch of him into her mouth, her nose butted up against his seam. With a moan she forced him over the edge and Garrus arched up into her. He cried out as he fell rapidly down, Liara sat off to the side watching the tremors Shepard pulled from him. Once he’d finished completely Shepard pulled back and climbed up his limp body. She kissed him deeply, and Garrus wrapped her in an embrace.

Not to be left out, Liara trailed her hands down the Commander’s body again. Quickly receptive to the touch the woman moaned into her turian lover’s mouth. When she didn’t immediately change her attentions Liara took matters into her own hands and pulled the slightly larger woman off the turian. Shepard couldn’t help but laugh as Liara mounted her and took her mouth with a ferocity that wasn’t necessarily warranted. Garrus laughed too, “Jealous?” he asked.

Liara pulled back enough to trail a stream of kisses down the human’s jaw line. “Maybe a little,” she mumbled. Garrus chuckled and watched the women for a few minutes as they kissed and touched each other with a tenderness that he wasn’t quite capable of. He wasn’t quite sure how to butt in without ruining the scene in front of him so he was thankful when the asari spoke up again. “Might as well put that smart mouth of yours to use.” She said. One hand caressed his jaw before moving down Shepard’s body to finger the pink entrance under her.

The turian didn’t need to be told twice. He stood and removed his boots and pulled his pants off before lowering himself back to the bed in between the Commanders thighs. From here he had access to both of the women and that he took advantage of. One long lick was able to move from one woman to the other, the gasp of surprise worth the awkward maneuver. He did this twice more before settling on the bottom woman, his tongue working its way against the taut muscles and aching clit in front of him. One hand worked her as well and the other helped his blue team mate along.

The women gasped and moaned as he fingered them in time. Mouths ravenous and hands searching each other for all of the most sensitive places. Garrus was bound and determined to bring his mate to her end again and again until this night was over, there was something to be said for turian stamina and he wasn’t going to disappoint. It hadn’t been more than ten minutes since he last came but his stamina was already starting to assert itself.  

The unfortunate thing was that in this position he wasn’t able to gain any relief for himself. He only had the slight friction against Shepard’s blankets to help satiate himself as his hands were hard at work. The women were getting close again, Shepard for a third time and Liara for her second. It was taking a good measure of his concentration to stop himself from giving up this foreplay for the main event.

If not for his superior sense of hearing he would have missed it. The sweet sound of his love saying just one word, “Please…”

He was on the bed in seconds, his arms pushing Liara further up the Commander’s body so that she sat over the human’s face. Shepard was quick to get to work on finishing Liara and Garrus carefully entered her. He relished the feel of her tight core squeezing around him. The heat such a contrast to the cool cabin. Shepard moaned into Liara’s azure, the vibrations sending jolts of pleasure through the blue alien. Garrus started pumping his way in and out, each thrust pushing deeper into the willing body.

Hands grasped hips and pulled her into each trust. Liara was in an excellent position to grind down into the Commander and she did, her hands pressed to the wall for balance. They stayed like this for a few minutes with moans and grunts and the sound of plates slapping against flesh filled the loft.

Liara was seconds away from climax when she leaned back slightly and pressed one hand to Shepard’s temple. Her other hand reached back to grasp behind Garrus’ fringe and pull him in closer. Her eyes opened, black as the void, “Embrace Eternity.”

Liara’s release came first, ripping a scream of pleasure from her. The three-way meld amplifying every ounce of sensation. Shepard was next as she left herself fall into the familiar abyss. The explosion made its way through her nervous system and pulled her body along with it. Her hips thrust up to meet with Garrus’ and she clamped down around him dragging him to the edge along with her.

The turian was new to the experience of this embrace, this being his first time with an asari. His hips kept up their movements even as he slumped forwards to lean his forehead against a blue shoulder. He gasped at the force of it, almost painful in its magnitude. The urge to sink his teeth into his mate overcame him, this bond connected him directly to her mind and she was overcome with her release. He managed to bring his arm up in place of Shepard and he sunk his teeth into the hard plating of his forearm, growling out his release into her.

It took a few more moments before Liara released the meld, and a few past that to come back down from their high. Carefully Garrus pulled out and collapsed on Shepard’s left side. Liara, much more gracefully, deposited herself on the right. The center party was the first to speak, though her words were laced with exhaustion, “That was… wow.”

Liara smiled and giggled as she curled up against her side, “Yes. I think ‘wow’ is an appropriate response.” She gave Shepard a quick peck on the cheek. Shepard responded by stealing a longer kiss, their tongues melding together in a lazy dance. When they parted Liara forced herself up on an elbow to look over to their third. “Garrus?”

He made a slight sound of acknowledgment, a _mhhphm_ though his panting. He lay flat on his back, fringe supported with one of the pillows, his arms covering his eyes. His chest was heaving out deep breaths. Shepard rolled over and smoothed a hand over his collar, “Going to live?”

He nodded slightly and raised his arms just slightly up so she could see his face. “Just dizzy,” he said before putting his arms back down.

Shepard frowned and turned to Liara, “He’ll get used to it. It is actually quite normal to get disoriented in a meld.” She saw the next question coming and answered it too, “Your first meld was one of my first, they’ve become much stronger since then. And with three minds it’s no wonder he needs a minute.”

Garrus raised one of his hands and gave them his best rendition of the bird possible with only three talons. Shepard laughed until she noticed the dark slide of blood dripping down his arm. She sat up completely and pull his arm over to inspect it. “I’ve got medi-gel in the bathroom cabinet, can you grab it?” Liara nodded as she stood and hurried off.

Garrus pulled his arm back as he sat up against the headboard. He shook his head once trying to throw off the dizziness, “I’m fine. Stop worrying.”

“You drew blood. Of course I’m going to worry.”

“Had to make sure I didn’t mark anyone. Was my best option,” he said raising his bloodied arm slightly. “Not sure if I was ready for that, melding that is.”

Liara returned with the medi-gel and a damp cloth which she passed to Shepard. “Thanks Liara,” she turned to the turian and took his arm again. She quickly cleaned and dressed his arm as though it were just another battlefield scrape. “I don’t think any of us were quite ready for this, any of this.”

Garrus let his head drop back as though he were looking at the ceiling, his eyes still closed. “Just going to take some getting used to. None of us are ones for half-measures.”

Liara settled into the bed again beside Shepard, “He’s right you know.” Neither of them needed to reiterate their achievements, they spoke for themselves.

Shepard crawled under the blankets and her lovers joined her. Garrus on his back with Shepard sprawled over his chest and Liara curled in behind her. “I couldn’t have done this without you.” Strength nuzzled his forehead against hers and Beauty planted a kiss between her shoulder blades; silently agreeing that they couldn’t have either.

Drifting off to sleep took a long time that night but not for the usual reasons. This time Shepard was content and didn’t want this night to end….

+++

 

_Happy N7 Day!_

_xo_


End file.
